Jehadis want an India-Pakistan nuke war: Hiro

New Delhi, Nov 16 (IANS) Islamists want to see a nuclear conflict between India and Pakistan but jehadi appeal in India is waning because Muslims in the country believe in electoral politics, writer Dilip Hiro says.

Jehadis were at the centre of the “Afghanistan, Pakistan, Hindustan” arch and their “dream is to bring about a nuclear war between India and Pakistan”, Hiro said at an event organised by the Indian Council of World Affairs here Tuesday.

The London-based Hiro specialises in Islamic affairs and South Asia.

He said the jehadis had spun out of Islamabad’s control. In Afghanistan, the Taliban was under pressure to delink from the Al Qaeda, and this could bring about a rift in the Taliban’s leadership.

In India, Hiro felt that jehadis were on a “weak wicket because Indian Muslims believe in electoral politics. As a minority they recognise the advantage of being a vote bank”.

According to him, militant jehadis in India were supported by the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) in Pakistan.

Hiro said that Islamists had an eye on Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal.

Nuclear installations in Pakistan have been “attacked four times by Al Qaeda supported jehadis”, he said.

The Taliban was only interested in taking power in Afghanistan and may delink with Al Qaeda which has global presence and interests.

This might cause a rift in the Mullah Omar-led Taliban.

The US cannot get out of Afghanistan without a pact with the Taliban. While the US was trying to fight and talk to the Taliban at the same time, “the Taliban will not talk as it knows that US has to leave”, he said.

“Pakistan wants to control the ultra jehadi groups and the Taliban, the Haqqani group and ISI want a friendly government in Kabul.”

The best scenario will be an election in Afghanistan in which the Taliban participate but have to share power in a new government.

“This will compel the Taliban to be moderate and give assurances to the Tajiks and may lead to a decentralization of the 45 Afghan provinces,” he said.

He added that post an American withdrawal, China and Iran will be big players in Afghanistan.

Hiro said: “Pakistan’s DNA is built on fear and hatred of India, and the Pakistani army commanders don’t want to solve the Kashmir issue.”